Tigers Steamroll to 2-0 record at GSU Invitational

Friday, August 27

ATLANTA, GA.

11 A.M.

University of Memphis

1-0,0-0AAC

California Baptist

0-1,0-0WAC

California Baptist

Memphis

Aug 27, 2021 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

ATLANTA, Ga. – In dominating fashion, the Memphis Tigers (2-0) made an early statement at the Georgia State University (GSU) Invitational to open the 2021 season. Memphis defeated both California Baptist (CBU) and Chattanooga in straight sets and faced just one set point across the two wins.

In the opening match against CBU (0-1), the Tigers hit .342 and racked up 10 blocks, as they led the Lancers in nearly every statistical category. In their second match of the day, the Tigers hit .325 and racked up 17 more kills than Chattanooga (1-1). On the day, Memphis outscored the opposition 152-123 and rarely trailed in either match.

Memphis 3, California Baptist 0

Set 1

The Tigers opened the season with three straight points, which included Tabytha Toelke's first collegiate kill
CBU pulled within one at 7-6, but Memphis kills from Toelke, Gigi Crescenzo, and a Lancers error pushed the Memphis lead 10-6
A 3-0 run from California Baptist cut the Memphis lead to one at 11-10, and the teams traded the next 11 points, as Memphis led 17-15
The Lancers went on a 4-2 run that pulled them within two at 21-19, though the Tigers scored the final four points of the set to win 25-19
Memphis hit a match-high .400 in the set while CBU hit a match-low .108

Set 2

An early 5-0 run from CBU had Memphis behind 6-3
The Tigers continued to trail until they won five of six points to level the set 19-19
After a Memphis error, the Tigers went on a 4-0 run to make it 23-20
The teams alternated the final four points of the set, as Autumn Hamilton's second kill of the match gave Memphis the 25-23 set victory

Set 3

Memphis jumped out to an early 4-2 lead, but didn't lead by more than two until a 5-1 run made it 14-10
After a brief 2-0 spurt by the Lancers, the Tigers went on a 6-0 run, which included two kills by both Hamilton and Miaya Smith
After Smith's fifth kill of the set put Memphis in front 22-13, CBU ran off five straight points to stay in the set, but kills from Sabrina Bianco and Toelke gave Memphis match point
CBU fought off one match point, but Smith's six kill of the match gave Memphis the 25-19 set three and match win

Memphis 3, Chattanooga 0

Set 1

The Tigers fell behind 2-0 and 4-2 but never trailed again in the set
Memphis won six of seven points to take an 8-5 advantage
A 4-1 run highlighted by two kills from both Smith and Crescenzo put the Tigers ahead 12-7
Chattanooga pulled within one at 22-21 on a kill by Maia Rackel, but the Tigers won the next two points to set up set point
Memphis took the opening set 25-23 on an attack error by Rackel

Set 2

Chattanooga jumped out to an early 3-1 lead but was never able to extend the advantage beyond two points
Trailing 16-14, Memphis ran off five straight points, punctuated by a service ace by Mackenzie Leach
The Mocs used a 3-0 run to level the set 20-20
Elizabeth Orf's 10^th kill of the match pulled Memphis back even at 22-22, while the teams alternated the next four points
On set point, a service error by Chattanooga's Gylian Finch extended the set, while two points later, the Mocs fought off set point on an error by Smith
Smith followed her error with her third kill of the set, which set Memphis up for set point
Leach's second ace of the set gave Memphis the 27-25 set victory
Chattanooga hit .341, the best percentage against Memphis in the doubleheader

Set 3

The Tigers took an early 3-2 lead and never trailed
A pair of kills by Orf and Toelke highlighted a Memphis 6-0 run that put the Tigers ahead 15-9
Memphis went on a 4-0 run that extended the lead to a match-high nine points at 20-11
Toelke's eighth kill of the match set up match point for the Tigers, and Bianco wrapped up the 25-14 and 3-0 win with her only kill of the set
Memphis hit .517 in the set, the team's best hitting percentage of any of the six sets in the two-win day

Tigers Tidbits

Memphis had just 10 errors in the opening win over CBU, while the Lancers nearly hit that mark in each of the first two sets with nine and eight errors respectively
The Tigers hit .259 or better in all six sets and held both opponents to a sub-.200 hitting percentage in all but one set
In her first collegiate appearance, Tabytha Toelke recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs
Sabrina Bianco recorded a pair of double-doubles with 38 assists and 10 digs vs. CBU and 46 assists and 12 digs vs. Chattanooga
Elizabeth Orf was the only Memphis player to record double-digit kills in both matches with 26 total kills on the day

Up Next

The Tigers wrap up the GSU Invitation vs. host Georgia State at 1 p.m. (CT)
Fans can follow the tournament finale at Memphisstats.com
Memphis will then head to the Central Arkansas Invite with two matches Friday and one Saturday

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Volleyball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.